Clown Princes
Production Notes Length: One Reel Producer: Jack Chertok Director: George Sidney Photography: Jackson Rose Editor: Titles: Writer: Hal Law and Robert A. McGowan Released: April 13,1939 Studio: M-G-M Main Cast * Carl Switzer as "Daredevil Alfalfa" * Darla Jean Hood as "Mademoiselle Darla, the Greatest Rattlesnake-Charmer in the World" * Eugene Lee as "The Head Without A Body" * Freddie Chapman - (unconfirmed) * Gary Jasgur as "The World's Smallest Man" * George McFarland * Harold Switzer * Joe Geil as "The World's Tallest Man" * Leonard Landy * Shirley Coates * William Thomas Jr. as "Oogie-Boogie, the Wildman from Borneo" Supporting Cast * Clarence Wilson - The Landlord * George Crosby - "The Famous Sime And Neez Twins" * Gerald Mackey - Musician * Gloria Mackey - Extra * Hugh Chapman - Musician * James Brown - Clown * James Gubitosi - Extra * Joe Levine * Larry Harris - Musician with snare drum * Malcolm Crosby - "The Famous Sime And Neez Twins" * Payne Johnson (unconfirmed) The Short Plot: Spanky and the gang decide to sell lemonade and, inspired by an advertisement for the Bungling Brothers Circus, put on a show to raise the money for Porky's parents to pay their rent that Mr. Wilson, their landlord, is determined to collect. As ringmaster, Spanky first introduces a freak show featuring, among others, Buckwheat as "The Wildman from Borneo" and Porky as "The Head Without A Body." Then in the main event, Spanky and Leonard perform an acrobat act, Darla has a lion-taming act with her pets disguised as lions, and Alfalfa sings "The Man On The Flying Trapeze" (but nowhere near as infectiously as Spanky and The International Silver String Submarine Band did in Mike Fright). Sitting on a swing, he's pulled upward by a rope tied to a mule, but when it gets stung by a bee, Alfalfa gets jerked and tossed about as the mule tries to break free. The gang is successful in raising enough money to pay for the rent. Upon getting the money, Mr. Wilson insists on buying the lemonade from Muggsy that costs one cent per glass instead of two, unaware that the discount is because Violet the goat drank from it. When he finds out, he spits it out and throws the remaining lemonade in Violet's face, and the goat gives him a swift kick. Quotes: * We could have got two cents for that too if the goat hadn't drank out of it." - Muggsy Notes/Trivia: * The continuity in this short is off with previous shorts. The writers either forgot Porky has been Spanky's brother since Little Sinner, or they're trying to form a separate character for him. In this short, Spanky and Porky are not featured as brothers. * Buckwheat as "The Wildman from Borneo" is possibly a flashback Spanky has to Uncle George and Bumbo from The Kid From Borneo. * This short is basically a remake of Barnum & Ringling, Inc. with aspects of the short, Spanky, tossed in. * James Gubitosi plays an audience member; he is the real-life older brother of future Rascal Robert Blake. * Original titles for this short were "Circus Capers" and "For Porky's Sake." Sequence * Previous Short: Duel Personalities * Next Short: Cousin Wilbur ---- Category: Talkie Category: 1939 Category: Show-Related Shorts Category: Pet-Related Shorts